The participants of the demonstration are calling for cherishing the right to life and urge women to refrain from undergoing abortions and assisted reproductive technology (ART). Police are providing security at the venue. Abortion is legal in France during a 12-week-long period after conception and can also be performed if doctors decide that the operation will avert serious injury or in life-threatening cases, as well as when the patient suffers from an incurable condition.
The procession of activists, holding banners with slogans saying "I Love Life" and "March for Life," started in the early afternoon. The demonstrators gathered near the Porte Dauphine metro station and then headed to the hill of the Trocadero.
The Paris March for Life has been held on an annual basis since 2005. The action, which usually takes place in late January, is considered to be largest annual pro-life mass gathering in Europe.
